Always The Midwife

‘Marie Louise is a dream come true for any parent with her uncanny ability to simplify the most important and complicated questions’ Emma Bunton, co-founder of Kit and Kin Whether you are planning for a baby, just found out you are pregnant or well into your third trimester, this book will help you to feel confident, informed and inspired about your exciting journey ahead. Through years of work with families, Senior Midwife Marie Louise reveals the key things that will make the biggest, most positive difference to you and your baby as you navigate these life-changing months. As well as this, Marie Louise is renowned for bringing complex science to life. You’ll discover fascinating facts that underpin everything you and your baby will go through, including - - How your nervous system is synced with your baby and why baby already knows a lot about you when they are born - The unique process your baby goes through to pass through the birth canal and how you work together in labour - Incredible facts about breast milk Packed with the most up-to-date findings and expert insights, you'll find everything you need to prepare for motherhood and, most importantly, understand and appreciate just how amazing you and your baby both are!

This omnibus edition of Call the Midwife, Shadows of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End chronicles Jennifer Worth's career as a midwife from start to finish, from her arrival in the war-scarred Docklands as a wide-eyed trainee, to the demolition of the tenements and subsequent closure of Nonnatus House. It provides a fascinating snapshot of social history, documenting the East End in the days when there was a real sense of community, when times were tough but there was plenty of good humour and neighbourly support to help the inhabitants through the harsh econonic climate. The book also enables readers to follow Jennifer's personal story, as she discovers the amazing resilience of a population still bearing the scars of war, and the vibrant community of nuns with whom she lives and who teach her the skills of midwifery. In stories that are funny, disturbing and moving in equal measure, we meet prostitutes and abortionists, bigamists and mischievous nuns, and see Jennifer earn the confidence of people whose lives are often stranger than fiction.

The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of Rares. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing. Dora becomes Miss B.’s apprentice, and together they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labours, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives. Filled with details as compelling as they are surprising, The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine.

Once is never enough

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This modern classic from the author of The Flight Attendant is a compulsively readable novel that explores questions of human responsibility that are as fundamental to our society now as they were when the book was first published. A selection of Oprah's original Book Club that has sold more than two million copies. On an icy winter night in an isolated house in rural Vermont, a seasoned midwife named Sibyl Danforth takes desperate measures to save a baby’s life. She performs an emergency cesarean section on a mother she believes has died of stroke. But what if—as Sibyl's assistant later charges—the patient wasn't already dead? The ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt, forcing Sibyl to face the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience. Exploring the complex and emotional decisions surrounding childbirth, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do. Look for Chris Bohjalian's new novel, The Lioness!

Once is never enough Dedicated midwife Sophia Toulson wants to have fun--and sexy paramedic Aiden Harrison is perfect! Aiden never dates a woman more than three times, and stunning, commitment-shy Sophia should be his ideal fling, but they both soon realise that three dates might never be enough! * Midwife Isla Delamere might be a glamorous socialite, but she's never met a man to tempt her...until she's kissed by gorgeous new doc Alessi Manos! Alessi doesn't do 'forever', until he meets Isla and suddenly keeping to his own rules is impossible--especially when he discovers Isla's secret... * Dr Ellis Webster promised Ruby Fisher's late husband he'd look after her, so he's the last guy she should fall for. Except his plan to help her start dating again fails spectacularly...because she's the only woman he just doesn't want to let go...

In this novel of action and ideas, Rose Smith wants to live among the "the oldest things in the world." While working in Los Angeles, a photo of Peru's Machu Picchu attracts her attention. "Stone city, blue sky. Home," she ruminates. Impulsively, she goes. There she meets a university professor, Carlos Urbina Delgado. They fall in love during a long trip down the dry Peruvian coast into the ancient mountain city of Cuzco. Through Carlos, Rose sees the poverty of the once-proud Inca, ponders the endurance of these and other indigenous peoples and wonders if the world can survive without them. Rose sees Los Angeles differently when she returns as a city without a soul, divorced from its roots in early native people. Overcome by loneliness, Rose retreats into work. Slowly she moves forward in her quest. She rediscovers her passion for painting and joins in fighting for the rights of indigenous people. Carlos visits, but she has one more journey she must make: to Guatemala where the indigenous Maya have survived three decades of war. There, in the cities' markets and the country's highlands, in violence that pits Indian against European and nearly ends her life, Rose looks for her answers.